Just 20 months after Mystic Prophecy released the awesome ‘Savage souls’, these lads from Germany have a new CD hitting the shelves, called ‘Satanic curses’. It is Mystic Prophecy’s 5th full-length CD in just 7 years, so it’s good to see a band constantly churning out solid release after solid release with not much time in between. It is also their 2nd CD without axeman Gus G, who is now permanently with Greek power metal band Firewind.

‘Satanic curses’ continues Mystic Prophecy’s trend of recent CDs, where they are becoming less melodic and more dark and thrashy. But they still have a nice balance between the 2 styles and it seems to be working for them. Possibly with the departure of Gus G have the band been able to be more creative, and it also takes them out of the massive group of other bands who just play melodic power metal.

Unfortunately for Mystic Prophecy, they seem to have fallen into the trap which has affected many metal bands throughout time. And that is their song structures have stayed the same since their debut CD, back in 2001. It is your typical intro/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus/end structure which many bands follow, but Mystic Prophecy very rarely change their structure and soon enough with every song almost sounding the same you feel yourself wanting more and feeling somewhat tired of having the same thing. The other trap which Mystic Prophecy have gotten into, is track length. Around and between 4:00 and 4:30 (with a few exceptions) is pretty much guaranteed for a Mystic Prophecy track on any CD. Again, it brings me to my original point about wanting to change it up and not to make it so predictable. That may not affect some people, but I feel that with every song almost sounding the same that towards the end I get bored and wanted to hear something different from this band.

As for the music on ‘Satanic curses’, it absolutely kicks ass. If you are into power metal with gruff, aggressive and dark driven guitars with no holds bared, then this is the CD for you. The thrash element infused into their power metal sound has worked well for Mystic Prophecy, as it has given them a rough edge, although it does get predictable after a while. Going hand in hand with the speedy guitars is great double-bass pummeling and also a huge slab of bass guitar. Mystic Prophecy may not be the most creative or original band in the world, but they certainly make up for that with awesome shredding riffs, solos and catchy choruses. Martin Grimm and Markus Pohl have really outdone themselves, especially with their last 2 releases and you are left thinking Gus who? Many people thought that once Gus G left this band that the talent would follow him, but this is not the case. In fact, I believe Mystic Prophecy have improved since Mr. G departed.

Some of the standout tracks on ‘Satanic curses’ include the fast opening, and statement-making “Back from the dead”. This track pretty much sets the scene for the remainder of the CD. It’s fast, it’s thrashy, it’s heavy and it kicks ass. The title track “Satanic curses” is another standout. This one again is purely riff driven and is a bit more melodic than thrashy and vocalist Roberto Dimitri Liapakis really sings well here, as he does for all the tracks.
“Evil of destruction” is next and is probably my favourite track on the CD, alongside the opening track. It’s another awesome riff driven, thrashy, yet melodic masterpiece with a top chorus and solo to boot. “Demons blood” is another top track. This one is a little slower than the rest, giving it a more melodic feel, taking me back to their sound from ‘Regressus’ (2nd CD). Finally, the last standout track is “Rock the night”. The opening riffs hit you right from the start and it doesn’t let up at all. It’s another quick, double-bass pumping metal anthem with a catchy band shouted chorus.

Mystic Prophecy have another winning CD on their hands here, much like their previous ‘Savage souls’, which made it into my top 5 metal releases of 2006. ‘Satanic curses’ is very much like the previous, but it is a little more thrashier and darker. Mystic Prophecy have certainly created the dark thrashy sounds to live up to their CD title and fans should immediately find this one as they will thoroughly enjoy it. Fans of thrash will also find something to enjoy here.
Mystic Prophecy have turned a corner with their music and this should get quite a lot of attention from the metal public and give this underrated band their deserved dues.